…chasing joy when life is hard.

Month: January 2017

What do you do when the only heart you have is broken into a million little pieces and you question whether it will ever work properly again?

It’s nearing the six months mark for when all fell apart…and I feel like I’m finally ready to share a bit of the journey I’ve been on.

Here’s what you do in no particular order:

1. You preach to yourself every single day the promises of God. (Thanks, John Piper)

2. You get out of bed and go to work. Even if you think you can’t.

3. You watch every single break-up episode of Gilmore Girls. And hope that someday your Luke will come along. But you also realize that there’s Jesus. And He is way better than any guy that might come along.

4. You own your part. But only your part.

5. You grieve. You weep. You get angry. YOU GET YOURSELF TO COUNSELING.

6. You believe you are who God says you are. That the truth of who you are rests solely in HIS opinion of you. No one else’s opinion bears any weight. (Thanks, Beth Moore)

7. You buy yourself flowers.

8. You treat yourself with the same kindness and gentleness that you are always extending to others.

9. You surround yourself with people who love you enough to tell you the truth. People who will step in and protect you from your own destructive tendencies.

10. You thank Jesus that HE protected you from something HE knew would not be good for your life.

11. You accept the hugs people offer you. Unless they’re creepy. Then you run.

12. You pick up some of your favorite foods, light some candles, and enjoy the peace that comes with solitude…just you and Jesus.

13. You remember than “there are far better things ahead than any we leave behind”. (Thanks, C. S. Lewis)

14. You allow yourself to feel the feelings even if they aren’t pretty.

15. You rediscover old dreams. (Where are my dang running shoes?)

16. You make new dreams. (And maybe even a Pinterest board detailing all those new dreams.)

17. You try scary, crazy new things. Like wearing red lipstick and green eyeshadow…for the very first time.

18. You take all the time you need. And remind yourself of this, “What others are doing should never dictate your own actions.”

19. You push forward, and you give yourself permission to live a full and amazing life without a man by your side.

20. You hug your kids, your friends, your dog, or whoever it is that FOR REAL loves you really tight, and you remind yourself that one person’s ability (or inability) to love you DOES NOT make you unloveable.

21. You believe totally and completely that you ARE loved. That you ARE lovable. Because God says it, and He is the Authority on all things Love. Because HE IS LOVE.

And a bonus: meditate on this…
The pain that you’ve been feeling CAN’T compare to the JOY that’s coming. ” Romans 8:18